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Author Topic: Window feed thru options  (Read 944 times)

N5YPJ

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Window feed thru options
« on: September 02, 2020, 03:33:55 AM »

My son will soon be moving out and my wife suggested I move my station into the room as a new shack. For the past ten years the shack has been a corner of the living room with only a wall for cable egress.

The many cables will only move over a few feet big difference is that the bedroom has a sliding window and the outer wall is brick, no brainer to bring the cables through the window.  ;D. I have a good common point bonded ground system with surge suppressors that is near that window so I am really not interested in the cable feed throughs that use bulk head connectors that would require in my case adding jumpers (there are quite a few coaxes). Question, besides a DIY board in the window drilled for cables are there any neater options?

73

Richard
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K5LXP

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2020, 04:17:44 AM »

How are the cables getting in through the wall now?  My outer wall is brick as well, the 'no brainer' for me was to remove a single brick.  When it's time to leave, put the brick back in.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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N0YG

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2020, 04:20:04 AM »

I think MFJ makes the feed thru plate or whatever it is correctly called. I had one and it worked pretty well. Just set it in the window after you make the connections and close the window down on it and secure the window. Good Luck
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N5YPJ

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2020, 04:53:44 AM »

How are the cables getting in through the wall now?  My outer wall is brick as well, the 'no brainer' for me was to remove a single brick.  When it's time to leave, put the brick back in.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM

A hole in wooden siding and indoor wooden paneling with a single entry scoop on both sides.

What covers the space where the brick was?
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WX4W

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2020, 10:20:20 AM »

I have a brick home and I took a hammer drill to remove enough brick to slide a 2" PVC pipe through the wall.  Then I bought a small bag of mortar mix and just hand applied it around the exterior pipe and brick to seal the edges.  I then used a 90 degree elbow turned down to the ground to prevent rainwater from coming into the house.  After I ran the coax's through it I used foam insulation to make the final interior seal.  Much easier than it sounds.
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K3GM

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2020, 06:58:13 PM »

........the bedroom has a sliding window...... Question, besides a DIY board in the window drilled for cables are there any neater options?
Is the window thermopane or single pane?  If it's a single pane, you could replace the glass pane with an aluminum panel of the same size.  I've done this with a basement window in my dwelling.  The aluminum panel doubles as a convenient ground point for all my transmission lines coming in.  This method will keep the window shut without stuffing the gaps with foam or insulation.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2020, 07:02:38 PM by K3GM »
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NA4M

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2020, 09:55:37 AM »

Purchase PVC pipe fittings of needed diameter for cable bundle.  90 deg elbow outside to keep rain out.
 
Cut a piece of plywood of appropriate thickness and width to fit the sliding window's track.  Paint plywood and maybe wrap panel edges with weatherstripping.

Purchase locks that attach to window's tracks inside to prevent opening window from outside.

Cut hole in plywood panel to fit PVC "feedthru" fitting.

After installing PVC feedthru and pulling cables fill voids around cables inside PVC fitting with steel wool or insulation.

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K5LXP

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2020, 03:53:53 PM »

What covers the space where the brick was?

A chunk of scrap wood to take up some space, then expanding spray foam.  A little light brown paint to cover up the bright yellow foam a bit.  The foam is easy to poke another line or two through when needed or torn out and easily redone.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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K0XU

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #8 on: December 23, 2020, 11:30:26 PM »

I have been using RG-316 jumpers with SO-239 connectors at both ends. The single hung windows in my apartment have weather stripping where they come together that is like 2 very short bristle brushes. The 0.1 inch coax fits right through there without leaking any detectable air around them. Plus the excess length can be wound through a 140-31 toroid for a pretty effective choke.
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K1KIM

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #9 on: December 24, 2020, 06:10:05 AM »

I have been using RG-316 jumpers with SO-239 connectors at both ends. The single hung windows in my apartment have weather stripping where they come together that is like 2 very short bristle brushes. The 0.1 inch coax fits right through there without leaking any detectable air around them. Plus the excess length can be wound through a 140-31 toroid for a pretty effective choke.

Exactly what I've used for temporary shack locations minus the choke.

The connectors are a bear to get on the RG-316 though. SKINNY stuff!
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So Many Toys.......So Little Time!

WA9FZB

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #10 on: December 24, 2020, 01:30:28 PM »

My approach might also be an option. 

My shack is on the second floor of the house.  My antenna is a ground mounted vertical with the coax buried under the grass out back.  I rented a hammer-drill a few years back (well, OK, about 35 years back) and drilled a hole in the brick just above the poured concrete foundation of the house.  I set a large conduit (forgot the size, but just pick one) and set it into the brick with RTV sealant.  On the outside of the conduit, I installed a "corner-pull" which is a right angle fitting that has a weather-proof, removable cover plate to facilitate feeding stiffer cables through the right angle bend.  The right angle points downward, to avoid moisture ingress.  The coax comes out of the ground right under the corner-pull.  Once the cable gets into the basement, it runs across the ceiling in the unfinished utility area of the basement to the double-stud wall where the plumbing vent stack goes upstairs.  The coax (and a host of other network and phone cables) runs up next to the vent pipe to the second floor where there is an access panel in a closet.  The coax exits the wall into the closet, runs across the closet floor and along the baseboard of the shack, through another closet, and exits the wall right behind my operating desk.

This is, unfortunately, a wordy way of trying to explain that you can bring a cable into the basement, then up inside a wall to your shack.  Use whatever cover/access plate you like to protect the exit point from the wall.  Ease of service is key.  Use your imagination, and your local home center.
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WS7X

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #11 on: December 24, 2020, 05:37:34 PM »

I see the op asked this question way back in Sept and here we are Dec and still getting answers.

No one mentioned that the correct answer will depend on how permanent you want the installation to be.  If you own the house and don't plan to move.  I'd go with conduit thru the wall and a nice 2 or 3 inch pvc conduit down to the ground.  If its a temporary setup then almost anything will do.  If you need lock the window you've got to figure you can't keep removing the coax.  I prefer to do it "right" and drill through the wall and install a nice conduit.  Any hole can be sealed up to not even look like it was ever there...
And leave your window free to be used for what it was made for...
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K0UA

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #12 on: December 25, 2020, 08:52:56 AM »

Quote
I prefer to do it "right" and drill through the wall and install a nice conduit.  Any hole can be sealed up to not even look like it was ever there...
And leave your window free to be used for what it was made for..

Another vote for "doing it right" and leaving windows alone.
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73  James K0UA

KF5LJW

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #13 on: December 26, 2020, 07:32:36 AM »

If you or any ham really wanted to do it right, would bring your coxes and inside with your AC service.
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WA8NVW

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Re: Window feed thru options
« Reply #14 on: December 26, 2020, 05:38:20 PM »

If you or any ham really wanted to do it right, would bring your coxes and inside with your AC service.
That's a method which will guarantee arc-over caused by any nearby or direct lightning hits. You need a common ground but separate entries.
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